So Doug had his CT scan 2 weeks ago. Last Wednesday we finally got a call from H.O.G. She said "there is good news and not so good news." First, there is NO cancer! P.T.L!!!! Second, there is a "tiny" hole in the anastomosis site. It appears to be leaking air and it can be fixed. We are calling your surgeon now to set up an appointment.
We were on our way to Dr Awilda's to do light/lymph therapy so we carried on. They called when we were there and said Friday at 1030am. Mornings don't work well for me but they close early on Friday's so, Friday am it was.
My awesome managers worked with me so I could take a break (for 1.5 hours) to go to Doug's appointment with him. And since it was Homecoming week at R.H.S. (read they really don't do anything on game day of Homecoming week) Eric went to first period because he was supposed to give a speech in Oral Comm. (He ended up not giving it because they were behind.) Anyway, I called the school and checked him out at 9:30 so he could go home and get Doug and I could meet them at the surgeon's office. We got there at 10:30 and didn't get in to see Dr Treptow until 11:15. Patience patience patience! Anyway, by that point he was in bad pain and couldn't sit down, he was glad to get in the room so he could lay on the exam table.
Basically Dr Treptow went thru the same things he always does (reviews everything he's said and done so far.) Said he needed to put Doug on antibiotics to battle the possible infection. Said there is a small hole in the anastomosis site and he didn't think he could repair it. Then said the other option was to do a permanent colostomy. OR we could possibly research a colorectal surgeon and see if they would be willing to look at the C.T. and "maybe there is a new method/procedure that they could perform on him." He suggested St. Louis.
Yeah, ok. Kinda of shell shocked us! So he's on Flagyl 3 x per day and Cipro 2 x per day. He's gone from a pain of ibuprophen to Percocet and Oxycodone in the span of approximately 2 weeks. We see Dr Treptow again in 2 weeks.
Finished there and came out to Eric saying the car wouldn't start. He had been listening to music which was fine but he leaves the lights on "automatic" and the battery was dead. Another learning experience! They got in with me and took me back to work and they took my car home. One of my awesome co-workers and his son went back and were going to jump the car and it started!
Doug's pain is pretty much constant. He's been on the antibiotics for 2 full days now. He said they actually help the pain and can tell when he's due for one. (of the 5 he takes per day.) He still takes Motrin or Aleve or Percocet or Oxycodone as needed.
Thursday (Oct 9) Eric and I went to ACH for his yearly checkup. All was well and since we had just gotten "the" shot letter from the school I was able to ask our oncologist about the 2 he was missing. Chicken pox and the cocktail of tetanus, pertussis, etc. He had had the chicken pox shot in 2001. She said that they had "added" a 2nd dose to the original one. Oh happy day. I told her he had been 2nd hand exposed but she said "the only way he can be considered exposed was if he were in one on one conversation distance from the person that actually had the chicken pox." And, since he'd had it before chemo that most likely the chemo had killed the antibody. She said she could do a blood test to see if the antibody still existed but there was a high certainty it would not be there. She said she had actually seen kids in the ICU with c.p. and her specialty nurse Ruth had gotten whopping cough last year and broke a rib coughing. I told her about Doug and we certainly didn't want to be bringing anything in with his weakened immune system so... 2 shots it was! From what she said if he didn't have the shot and were exposed (by anyone in the classroom) he would have to stay out of school for 21 days. Which Eric would probably not mind that but......no. Other than that it was a good day to hang with my son! :)
So where does that put us right now? I am researching specialists at Mayo and Tulsa. If we were to have to do something, it would be advantageous to do it this year as we are at 100 percent with my insurance. Research is ongoing to see also who is a participating provider. If you know of a colorectal specialist, please please give me a call or drop me an email. djeado@sbcglobal.net or 479-685-6432. Thank you!
Your ongoing prayers are appreciated. Prayers for healing, depression, etc.etc.etc.
Jan, Doug and Eric
(oh, and yes, I still have hives!)
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